It is well known that windshield wipers can become stuck, or frozen, to a vehicle windshield in certain inclement weather. Vehicle operators who park their vehicles outdoors at night or during the day often find their vehicle covered in snow and/or ice. In these situations, the vehicle operator will have to clear the windshield and physically move the windshield wiper to overcome the retentive force created by the snow and/or ice. In addition to being a nuisance for the vehicle operator, physically moving the windshield wiper can also result in damage to the windshield wiper or wiper blades.
In other scenarios, the vehicle owner may start the vehicle allowing it time to warm up and at least partially clear the windshield. This may be done utilizing a remote vehicle start function or manually. In such scenarios, the vehicle operator often turns on a rear window heater and a defroster to warm the front windshield. Typically, however, the vent through which the warm air blows onto the front windshield in the defrost mode contacts the window above a zone of the windshield where the windshield wipers typically reside when not in use. In other words, the defroster only warms a portion of the windshield excluding a windshield wiper park zone. In order to overcome such scenarios, mechanisms have been developed to warm the windshield wiper park zone. These mechanisms are limited primarily to a pre-warming sequence or a sequence which remains on throughout the entire time the vehicle is running.
While these mechanisms have proven useful in certain scenarios to warm the windshield wiper park zone sufficient to release the windshield wipers from the windshield, it would be preferred to minimize, if not eliminate, the buildup of ice and snow on the windshield and/or prevent the windshield wiper from freezing to the windshield altogether.
Accordingly, a need exists for a way to limit the buildup of ice and snow on the windshield and to prevent a windshield wiper from freezing to a windshield. Ideally, this can be accomplished by turning the windshield wipers on after the vehicle has been turned off in order to clear the windshield of melted ice and snow which is subject to re-freezing once the vehicle is turned off. The windshield wiper could be turned on and off intermittently or operated normally for a period of time depending on various conditions associated with the vehicle or until a temperature of the windshield reaches a temperature below freezing at which no further melting, subject to re-freezing, will occur.